XSSIVE
OCDologist
You bumped a 12yr old thread of mine for some reason asking about oil finishing a neck where at the time I was just learning about that technique. The thread was filled with misinformation and jokes from others (motor oil lol) and hardly any useful info, so I killed it and am making this one to answer any questions you have since after those 12 years have passed I have oil finished more necks than I can remember and it's the standard finish on the guitars I build.
The oil you want to use is Birchwood Casey Tru-oil, not tung oil or any of that other stuff. Tru-oil is more like a schellac than an oil really in that it fully dries and hardens sealing the wood and layers can be built up to achieve a gloss finish if you wanted that. I don't do gloss finishes with it though, I use it to fully seal the wood yet leave it feeling nearly like raw wood without the hindrance of grain lifting from sweaty hands which is possible with a 100% raw neck. With Tru-oil the necks always stay smooth and sweat and hand oils (as gross as it may sound) actually make the necks feel better over time since your hands are constantly buffing the neck as you play it. You can follow the tru-oil with Birchwood Casey gun stock wax too for a little extra glow to the finish and a slightly slicker feel.
There are loads of techniques for applying it and it's so stupidly easy you really can't mess it up. I've tried loads of peoples methods over the years and they're all valid. My method for a sort of satin finish where it's not bone dry looking but isn't overly glossy is to apply several thin coats over the course of a day usually around 30min to 1 hour apart depending on the neck and how it's soaking up the oil. Touch it and if it's tacky wait a bit longer for the next coat. Some guys like to steel wood or sand between coats, which requires a longer dry time between coats, but I don't find that necessary if you apply thin coats and if you're going for a satin finish. How many coats depends on the neck and how it reacts to the tru-oil and what type of wood it is. Maple necks obviously need less coats than mahogany due to their grain structure and porosity. 3,4,5,6+ coats, no real right or wrong answer, it's more about common sense and making sure the neck is good and coated but not excessively coated since that defeats the point of a thin oil finish. After oiling I let the neck sit overnight to fully cure. The next day I use 0000 steel wool over the entire thing to level it out and give it a drier satin finish. Then buff it vigorously with a clean dry microfiber cloth which will add a bit of a sheen to it making it look a bit less dry. Then I add a few thin coats of gunstock wax again buffing vigorously with a clean dry microfiber cloth and it's done and is satin smooth with just a subtle visual glow to it.
You can see how this method works on all the necks on my guitars... www.DAvanzoGuitars.com and I've posted pics during oiling on instagram and facebook like these...
The oil you want to use is Birchwood Casey Tru-oil, not tung oil or any of that other stuff. Tru-oil is more like a schellac than an oil really in that it fully dries and hardens sealing the wood and layers can be built up to achieve a gloss finish if you wanted that. I don't do gloss finishes with it though, I use it to fully seal the wood yet leave it feeling nearly like raw wood without the hindrance of grain lifting from sweaty hands which is possible with a 100% raw neck. With Tru-oil the necks always stay smooth and sweat and hand oils (as gross as it may sound) actually make the necks feel better over time since your hands are constantly buffing the neck as you play it. You can follow the tru-oil with Birchwood Casey gun stock wax too for a little extra glow to the finish and a slightly slicker feel.
There are loads of techniques for applying it and it's so stupidly easy you really can't mess it up. I've tried loads of peoples methods over the years and they're all valid. My method for a sort of satin finish where it's not bone dry looking but isn't overly glossy is to apply several thin coats over the course of a day usually around 30min to 1 hour apart depending on the neck and how it's soaking up the oil. Touch it and if it's tacky wait a bit longer for the next coat. Some guys like to steel wood or sand between coats, which requires a longer dry time between coats, but I don't find that necessary if you apply thin coats and if you're going for a satin finish. How many coats depends on the neck and how it reacts to the tru-oil and what type of wood it is. Maple necks obviously need less coats than mahogany due to their grain structure and porosity. 3,4,5,6+ coats, no real right or wrong answer, it's more about common sense and making sure the neck is good and coated but not excessively coated since that defeats the point of a thin oil finish. After oiling I let the neck sit overnight to fully cure. The next day I use 0000 steel wool over the entire thing to level it out and give it a drier satin finish. Then buff it vigorously with a clean dry microfiber cloth which will add a bit of a sheen to it making it look a bit less dry. Then I add a few thin coats of gunstock wax again buffing vigorously with a clean dry microfiber cloth and it's done and is satin smooth with just a subtle visual glow to it.
You can see how this method works on all the necks on my guitars... www.DAvanzoGuitars.com and I've posted pics during oiling on instagram and facebook like these...
